REVIEW: Scarlet Witch #5

There is no doubt that I have a taste for the occult. From Crowley to the Golden Dawn, from Doctor Strange to Doctor Fate, from Brother Voodo to Magik, and from Agatha Harkness to the Red Mother herself. The Scarlet Witch #5 is a story of pure magical action. In it we see Scarlet Witch protect our beloved sarcastic reporter Darcy from the strong, bloodthirsty hands of the Hippolyta or as she’s known in this comic, Scythia. This comic is filled to the brim with thrill, blood, power, and explosions. It’s really something to wonder at. From the amazing art by Russell Dauterman to the beautiful colors by Matthew Wilson, this is a thrill to read from the first page to the last.

I particularly enjoyed the amazing detail that each panel has, and how even though Wanda is one of the most powerful magic users in the Marvel Universe, she’s not perfect and will still bleed and scratched when going against a good rival. I love that, to see the “humanity” or non-human character is really awesome because even though we have a feeling that we’re not gonna see Wanda die this issue we still feel her pain and are genuinely afraid for her safety because let me tell you, in that suit of Low Mysterium, Scythia packs quite the wallop.

There is also something very interesting that we have to talk about in regard to the A:M (After the Movies) age of Marvel comics and that’s how the actors’ likenesses have sort of bled into the character design of the comics, and I am all for it. In this issue, Darcy reminds me so much of the beautiful actress Kat Dennings that every time she came on the panel I was transported into the nights when I would sit in a bed up in the forests of Carolina, Puerto Rico where I used to binge-watch Wanda Vision. Such good memories, even though that is a very personal and specific experience to me, no doubt once you take a look at those character designs and the background design of the town of Lotkill you too will be transported back to your own time watching Wanda Vision.

One other thing I would like to talk about is how amazing the sound fx lettering is in this story; this stuff right here is amazing! This is the kind of stuff other comic artists should study because it’s so good!!!! Because most of the comic is a fight between two very powerful warriors were are treated to all sorts of sound fx’s, from a wonderfully natural “Choppa, Choppa, Choppa” of a helicopter coming crashing towards your house to the “Zzaphswam” of a Wanda-branded Kamehameha blast that will destroy everything in its path. This action lettering is top-notch and blends so beautifully with the art! I truly love it. I only wish the word balloons had a little bit more of that blending so as to not make them pop out so much, but it’s honestly not the worse thing in the world on this comic and the action lettering makes up for that tiny bit of discomfort I might feel when reading the comic.

To close off the literally 5/5 review, I gotta talk about the way the story concludes. It is such a Marvel cinematic thing. We are treated to a beautifully wrapped present of Wanda fixing up the wrecked town after the fight, and then we cut to a duo of young adults getting drunk and finding a weird cave. As they enter it, their beer cans turn into pointy ninja stars and attack them leaving them a bloody mess as they run for safety away from the cursed cave. Then on one beautiful last page, we have the cliffhanger of a lifetime with one of the best Marvel villains contemplating his existence as he sits on a throne made of stalagmites. I am definitely keeping it vague because you deserve to see this last page for yourself because it looks so good! This is poster-worthy stuff right here, heck thinking of it there are like 10 different moments in this comic that I would not mind having as a poster on my wall. Also, one last thing before I sign off, wanna know I know that they are sitting on a throne of stalagmites? Easy Tenacious D said it best; “Stalagtites, hold on tight to the roof. Whilst stalagmites might poke you in the ass.”

Well, that is all for today from me, your favorite magic-using, mutant correspondent. I hope to see you next time for another review of yet another awesome comic, or maybe a bad one, who knows? All I know is that this issue of Scarlet Witch is a banger and you should pick it up as soon as you can because I think you will not be disappointed in the slightest. Oh, and the letter section on this comic is called “Scarlet Letters” I mean, come on that’s just so good! Even the preview page of the next issue is made to look like a hand-written letter from one of the characters. This book is the gift that keeps on giving.

Writing- 5 Stars
Art – 5 Stars
Colors – 5 Stars

Overall – 5 Stars

Writing by; Steve Orlando
Art by; Russell Dauterman
Colors by; Matthew Wilson
Lettering by; VC’s Cory Petit
Cover art by; Russell Dauterman
Variant Covers by; Dustin Nguyen, Joshua “Sway” Swaby, Marc Aspinall, Martin Cóccolo & Jesus Aburtov
Published by; Marvel Worldwide Inc.

Reviewed by Antonio “Mabs”